1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates generally to semiconductor device packages and method of making the same. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to semiconductor device packages having antennas.
2. Description of the Related Art
Wireless communication techniques, for example, using Bluetooth, WiFi, WiMax or other wireless communication interface, are popular with the users. An antenna is a major component for wireless communication techniques. Additionally, electronic products continue to trend toward slim, compact and lightweight form factors. The decrease in sizes of wireless communication devices has created a demand for a small size antenna that is integrated in the same package housing the wireless communication device coupled to the antenna. However, integrating an antenna into the package housing the wireless communication device presents technical challenges.
The incorporation of an antenna into a semiconductor device (e.g. a wireless communication device) package may result in electromagnetic interaction and coupling between the antenna and different parts of the semiconductor device. This could lead to reduced performance of the antenna in efficiency and bandwidth, among other things, and could also lead to a detuning of the antenna and possible malfunction of the semiconductor device.
A sputtering technique may be used to form the antenna in a patterned metal layer. However, an even thickness of such a patterned metal layer is not easily and precisely achieved by this technique, and the unevenness may adversely affect performance of the antenna. Further, components of a semiconductor device package, such as pads, pins, traces and ground planes, may also interfere with the antenna.
Some semiconductor device packages further incorporate a matching circuitry, to improve performance of the antenna, and the matching circuitry is covered by an encapsulating material during packaging or assembly. However, once the assembly process is completed, the antenna may no longer be adjusted because the matching circuitry is encapsulated. Failure to meet the performance criteria of the antenna may lead to loss of the packaged structure, including a relatively high cost semiconductor device.
Extra matching circuitry may be built on a system substrate (e.g. a printed circuit board (PCB) onto which the semiconductor device package substrate is mounted) to improve performance of the antenna incorporated into a semiconductor device package, but this is not effective in terms of cost and complexity reduction. Moreover, impedance mismatch between a semiconductor device package substrate and the system substrate may deteriorate performance of the antenna.
It is against this background that a need arose to develop the semiconductor device packages and related methods described herein.